News

Citing new data on the Florida primaries, the Wesleyan Media Project, an RBF grantee, has released the first analysis of campaign advertising for the 2012 presidential election cycle. It found that interest groups have sponsored nearly half of the Republican nomination television ads through January 25, compared to only three percent of ads aired during the same time period in the 2008 Republican nomination race—a 1600 percent increase.

In an editorial published in the Financial Times, economist Nicholas Stern cites data and analysis from the Carbon Tracker Initiative to call attention to the “contradiction between the way global fossil fuel reserves are evaluated and long-term [climate change] policy goals.” The Carbon Tracker Initiative is a project of InvestorWatch, and was made possible by support from the Growald Family Fund and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Democratic Practice Program Director Benjamin Shute, Jr. discusses the need for campaign finance reform, especially as the concentration of wealth among fewer Americans increases, and unemployment soars. Those who can most easily afford to make large donations to candidates are having a disproportionate effect on public policy, he says, and more and more people believe that the government doesn’t work for them.

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund has made revisions to the Global Governance portion of its Democratic Practice program guidelines. The changes reflect the evolution of the Global Governance portfolio, and aim to better communicate the Fund's interest in promising approaches to enhancing the vitality of democracy in global governance.

The Campaign Finance Institute (CFI) has published a report, which confirms that a public campaign finance policy would improve election participation. The new report is based on analysis of public financing in six Midwestern states during the elections of 2006-2010.

Thomson Reuters has announced the addition of Investigative News Network's (INN) long-form investigative journalism to its media platform, bolstering its news content for publishers and broadcasters worldwide. Thirty INN members have agreed to participate, including RBF grantees Center for Public Integrity and Center for Investigative Reporting. INN was formed at The Pocantico Center in 2009.

RBF grantee the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) has launched the beta version of its new investigative news site, iWatch News, with plans to unveil a new digital newspaper next month. All content for both iWatch News vehicles will be produced by CPI, which will continue to promote the transparency, accountability, and responsiveness of government institutions, with special attention to the importance of investigative journalism.

The Center for Governmental Studies, an RBF grantee, has published a report analyzing the outcomes of Albuquerque, New Mexico's new "clean money" public campaign financing law. The report, Public Campaign Financing in Albuquerque: Citizens Win with Clean Money Elections, found that the law witnessed a reduction in excessive campaign spending, and that in the last two elections, eight of the city's 10 elected officials accepted public campaign financing.

The Partnership for Public Service, Inc., an RBF grantee, has published a report entitled Toward Common Ends: The Foundation Sector and the Federal Government. It addresses the issue of the philanthropic community's role in ensuring the government operates effectively, and was first examined at a Pocantico conference in October 2009.

RBF grantee the National League of Cities Institute, Inc. has released an action guide to help local elected officials more effectively promote constructive civic participation that leads to problem solving. Beyond Civility: From Public Engagement to Problem Solving presents seven principles along with best practices to help leaders strengthen democratic governance.